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City Road D, Amherst, WI:

Some big dreams fit well into small spaces. The owner, a retired nurse with an active massage therapy practice, decided to move from Chicago to be near her children and grandchildren outside Steven’s Point, Wisconsin. Years earlier she had purchased a wooded plot of land that featured a slow slope to a creek bed that is a haven for a community of indigenous birds and animals.

Her dream was to build a small house that provided her adequate space to pursue her massage therapy practice, entertain her family and commune with the natural surroundings. The 1000 sq. ft. house features one large room containing  a double height living area and adjacent dining and kitchen spaces. These rooms are supported by features that “scale” the open space to specific uses: the kitchen has a built-in corner banquette, surrounded with windows; the dining area has a low gabled ceiling to focus the attention on the table; and the living space has a large, south facing window group to frame the sky, distant trees and nearby prairie. A stair near the front entrance ascends to an open sleeping loft for visitors. The exterior shape resembles a barn featuring a gambrel roof- complete with hoist hoods. This was chosen because of its association with the owner’s Iowa roots and rural life; it also provides useful volume with economic roof construction. Parts of the roof form are carved away to signify the entrance and to emphasize views. The simple box formed by the walls of the house is similarly manipulated, as parts of the floor area contained within the perimeter  of the roof  are left open to adjacent deck spaces  from which the owner can enjoy the surroundings with full protection from the elements. 

 

 
 
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